Nevada State Bird

What Is the Nevada State Bird?

Nevada adopted the Mountain Bluebird as its state bird. It has been the state bird for numerous decades, and it is a bird that is known for having a bright blue chest. Typically, the female bird has a few scattered brown feathers with some bright blue feathers as the dominant color. On the other hand, the male bird typically has white feathers mixed in with bright blue feathers. This makes it relatively easy to tell the birds apart. Even though this bird can be found in the state's desert areas, it is not unusual to see it in Las Vegas, either.

Why Did Nevada Pick the Mountain Bluebird?

When Nevada was trying to pick its state bird, it wanted to pick something that was familiar to the residents. One of the most common birds in the state is the Mountain Bluebird. It lives in numerous areas throughout the state during the entire year. In addition, Nevada wanted to raise awareness of the Mountain Bluebird because it is at risk of losing some of its nesting sites. Because of the development and construction that has taken place across the country, the Mountain Bluebird has lost a significant number of its nests. Therefore, the state wanted a cause that people could get behind, which is why it decided to pick the Mountain Bluebird to be the state bird.

When Did Nevada Pick the Mountain Bluebird as its State bird?

During the early 20th century, a lot of states had their school children vote for what they wanted to be the state bird. Even though Nevada was a bit behind some of the other states in picking a state bird, it officially adopted the Mountain Bluebird as the state bird in 1967. In addition, Nevada has a lot of roots in Native American culture. Native Americans used to view the Mountain Bluebird as a symbol of hope, happiness, and love. All of these are universal qualities, and Nevada did not want people to forget about the strong Native American culture in the local area. There are other states that use the Mountain Bluebird as their state bird, such as Idaho, which is just a few miles north of Nevada.

Where Does the Mountain Bluebird Live?

The Mountain Bluebird itself is easy to spot because of the color of the feathers. Even though the female and male birds have slightly different color patterns, they both have bright blue coloration. Furthermore, the Mountain Bluebird is relatively easy to spot in the sky because it tends to fly in a zigzag formation. Because the Mountain Bluebird can survive in a wide variety of climates, it is not unusual to stop this bird in Nevada throughout the entire year. The bird itself is only about six inches long, but when it extends its wings, the wingspan is approximately one ft. The vast majority of people who live in Nevada can spot the Mountain Bluebird just about every day.

Nevada state bird
Name
Mountain bluebird
Scientific Name
Sialia currucoides
Size
small
Year Became Official
1967

Nevada State Bird